Anti-nuclear protesters to rally in Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK -- Anti-nuclear protesters will march around the downtown on Saturday to show their opposition to plans to build Fermi 3 and to pass out information about the dangers of the nuclear industry.

Protesters are meeting at 1 p.m. outside the Royal Oak Post Office for the march, which kicks off a two-part event called "Fukushima -- the Continuing Disaster."

Monday is the 2-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that caused the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Japan.

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"Fukushima is still releasing radiation every day. It's far from cleaned up and fixed, and possibly the worst is yet to come," said Greg Panzica of Royal Oak, who is executive director of Peace Nick.

"Right now 80 fuel rods are melting down in the core and above it another 1,500 rods are teetering. If there's another big earthquake it could be 200 times worse a problem than we have now."

Peace Nick is a nonprofit group that promotes peace through education, poverty reduction, environmental protections and social justice. Members are putting on the Royal Oak march with the Coalition Against Nukes (CAN) and the Alliance to Halt Fermi 3 (ATHF3).

DTE Energy Co. is trying to get a federal license to build and operate the Fermi 3 plant. Opponents question the environmental review and whether the electricity that would be generated is needed. They also take issue with a proposed 11-mile corridor of transmission lines from the plant to a substation.

DTE officials have said they are planning for the future and no final decision has been made yet as to whether Fermi 3 will be built. Fermi 2 in Frenchtown Township took 20 years to construct.

The Royal Oak march will be followed later Saturday with a concert and rally at Trumbullplex, Detroit, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Speakers will include CAN member Michael Leonardi and ATHF3 representative Jessica Miskena.

The concert will feature performances by the political activist rock band The Insurgency as well as Rocket McFlyy & the Free Radicals, Poor Player, Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke, and Bill Makela.

The suggested donation is $5-$10. The Trumbullplex is at 4210 Trumbull, Detroit.